Chris McCandless was just a victim of his own obsession. The novel “Into The Wild” written by John Krakauer revealed the life of a young bright man named Chris McCandless who turned up dead in Alaska in summer 1992. In the novel, John Krakauer approached carefully McCandless’s life without putting too much authorial judgment to the readers. Although Chris McCandless remained an elusive figure throughout the novel, I can see Chris McCandless as a dreamy young idealist who tries to follow his dream but failed because of his innocent mistake which prove to be fatal and irreversible.
Still, Chris McCandless’s courage and passion was something that we should all be proud of. When Chris McCandless’s relationship with his father turned sour, he gave up everything including a sizeable bank account to the charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet and invented a new life, in turn for seeking the truth of mankind. “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth… ” (pg117) was a passage highlighted in one of the books found with Chris McCandless’s remains.
Although in the book, his complaints about his father never seem to be very clear. Yet, Krakauer suggested that possible reason was his father long-ago marital problem that seemed to enrage him. What I see from Chris McCandless that he had lost faith in humans and this was what led to his discovery the truth about Mankind. Chris McCandless’s passion for nature seemed to be endless. Krakauer mentioned that Chris McCandless’s passion for nature was evidently seen when he was eight–his first backpacking trip with his father.
And it continues to grow as he grew older. After he decided to give up everything he had, Chris McCandless immediately set himself into painstakingly journeys. In the letter Chris McCandless wrote to Ron, he writes . “.. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure… ” (pg57). Chris McCandless was possessed by a nomadic existence and was trying to share his principle of life to his friend by telling that the truth about life was to explore the nature.
Chris McCandless’s last letter to Wayne revealed his true passion of nature. “This is the last you shall hear from me… I now walk into the wild”(pg 69). Some people concluded that it was Chris McCandless’s suicide letter. However, in my opinion, Chris McCandless was just a victim of his own ego, pride and confidence that made him to neglect basic precautions that keep one person alive. He was controlled by his own delusions and that made him eager to test himself into strenuousness which proved fatal to him. Chris McCandless was a true adventurer.
He went to his journeys mostly by foot and would not take any chance to cheat it. He bought an aluminum canoe at Arizona and paddled down the Colorado River, and nearly drowning in rough water in the Gulf of California. In his journal, he writes . “.. It is the experiences, the memories, the great triumphant joy of living to the fullest extent in which real meaning is found. God it’s great to be alive! Thank you. Thank you” (pg37). His confession in his journal proved that he had no regrets of what he had done even though it almost cost him his life.
He also turned down Wayne’s offer to buy him an airplane ticket to Fairbanks. He says . “.. Flying would be cheating. It would wreck the whole trip” (pg67). He risked everything he had to experience the life of a voyager. Traveling from Washington to California, Chris McCandless experienced different kinds of situation which he seemed to be proud of. He celebrated New Year’s Eve by watching the moon rising over the great dessert, hopped a train, and spent nights living in the streets.
Another reason that made Chris McCandless a true explorer was his stubborn personality of not being able to conform to the rule of society. He worked in the McDonald’s and hated the fact that he had to wear socks under threat of his manager. According to his assistant manager, he says “Chris would comply with the rule, but as soon as his shift was over,-bang! The first thing he’d do is peel those socks off… ” (pg 49). Chris McCandless’s hygiene was often complaint by his manager too and according to his manager it was because of him that Chris McCandless at last quit.
Chris McCandless’s genius had led him into a tragic death. Yet his ego, passion, courage were something that should be preserved. “No man ever followed his genius till it misled him… ” (pg47). Although he failed his mission, he was considered a brave young man who went into the wilderness by himself and was able to survive for 16 weeks in Alaska. He showed no regret of what he had done because he died trying to achieve his inner happiness, the truth.
